EurekAlert! News by Subject: Tech & Engineering - News by Subject: Tech & Engineering

Tech & Engineering

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 3-Apr-2026 23:15 ET (4-Apr-2026 03:15 GMT/UTC)

Engineering a clearer view of bone healing

University of Delaware
Grant and Award Announcement

The University of Delaware is leading a $3 million NIH-funded project to develop radiation-free MRI imaging that can detect problems in bone healing sooner. By combining ultrashort echo time MRI with 3D modeling, the team aims to predict fracture strength and personalize recovery for faster healing.

MSU study: How can AI personas be used to detect human deception?

Michigan State University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A Michigan State University–led study explored whether artificial intelligence can detect human deception. Researchers found that while AI can interpret context, it often misjudges honesty and performs worse than humans. The findings suggest AI is not yet reliable for identifying lies, underscoring the complexity of human communication and trust.

Journal: Journal of Communication

Tiny swarms, big impact: Researchers engineering adaptive magnetic systems for medicine, energy and environment

Rice University
Grant and Award Announcement

Rice University is partnering with researchers at the University of Washington, Columbia University and Louisiana State University on a $2 million award from the National Science Foundation to revolutionize how materials and microrobots can be designed, controlled and applied in real-world environments.

Slowed by sound: A mouse model of Parkinson’s Disease shows noise affects movement

PLOS
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In the development of Parkinson’s disease, it may not be a good idea to turn the amp to 11. High-volume noise exposure produced motor deficits in a mouse model of early-stage Parkinson’s disease, and established a link between the auditory processing and movement areas of the brain, according to a study published November 4^th in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Pei Zhang from the Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, China, and colleagues.

Journal: PLOS Biology

Study shows light can reshape atom-thin semiconductors for next-generation optical devices

Rice University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Rice researchers studying a class of atom-thin semiconductors known as transition metal dichalcogenides have discovered that light can trigger a physical shift in their atomic lattice, creating a tunable way to adjust the materials’ behavior and properties.

Journal: ACS Nano
Funder: Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Welch Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, Taiwan Ministry of Education

Prime time for fiber optics to take a deep dive into brain circuits

Washington University in St. Louis
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Fiber-optic technology revolutionized the telecommunications industry and may soon do the same for brain research.

A group of researchers from Washington University in St. Louis in both the McKelvey School of Engineering and WashU Medicine have created a new kind of fiber-optic device to manipulate neural activity deep in the brain.

Journal: Nature Neuroscience

Knitting machine makes solid 3D objects

Cornell University
Reports and Proceedings

A new prototype of a knitting machine creates solid, knitted shapes, adding stitches in any direction – forward, backward and diagonal – so users can construct a wide variety of shapes and add stiffness to different parts of the object.